Page 52 of Toxic Wishes

I hadn’t expected any of this. Learning how much Colt cared. How it wasn’t his fault at all. I can see why Blake wanted to pin this on him. Being rejected by your only parent was a tougher pill to swallow than hating your controlling, perfectionist brother you barely knew.

“You dated a woman that hated him.” I snapped, finally finding a hole in his version of things. “He hated Hannah.”

“I broke up with Hannah shortly after I went pro. The main reason I kept her around was because I planned on taking care of Blake when he graduated from high school and would have him live with us.” Colt bared his teeth, jerking forward as if I physically hurt him. “She seemed like a good idea at the time. Sweet, caring, came from a good family, all about matching outfits for pictures. Hannah was not perfect, but I thought she could replace Blake’s good-for-nothing mother who O.D’ed. Did you know he was the one who found her?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Everyone failed Blake, the same way I felt about my family, but unlike me, he gave up.

“For a while, Hannah tried, and I think she thought we all could make it work, with Blake living with us and all, but the only thing permanent that came out of that relationship was my son. Which I don’t regret one bit, but if I knew my perfect plan wouldn’t have worked, I would have never made my relationship with Hannah so serious.”

Colt even dated Hannah for Blake, too.

“His version of things was different. He made it seem like Hannah hated him and wanted him out of the picture. Just so she could have you all to herself. Especially once she knew you were going pro.”

“She was definitely feeling the heat. I was growing impatient with Blake, my dad, and her. I was young, just signed a contract with the Dallas Cowboys that had more zeros on it than I ever saw in my life, and it went straight to my head along with my priorities. When Hannah realized Blake wasn’t going to warm up to her, and I wasn’t in love with her, she changed.”

I had to stop my leg from shaking. I remember how much I hated Hannah for Blake.

Colt’s jaw ticked. “So I guess Blake talked to you about Hannah, too, huh?”

I nodded. “He was upset. I just wish he knew how much you cared. That’s why I thought it would be a good idea not to do all this.” I motioned with my hand between him and me. “And that’s why I said what I said when you were, ya know.” I could feel my cheeks flush at the memory of walking in on him. “I thought it would be like your punishment.”

“Is that what that was?” A half-mooned grin grazes his lips. It marks the first time I have seen him truly smile, and momentarily, I lose my breath.

“I wanted to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“Ditto.”

“Mission accomplished,” I remember how he stared defiantly at me inside Heidi. “Sorry for interrupting.”

“Sorry for-” He trailed off. I knew what he was sorry for—holding my gaze while he was inside her.

“Truce?” I hold out my hand, and he takes it.

At that exact moment, the waitress comes by, and Colt looks up at her.

“Can we get two orders of toast, eggs, and bacon?”

“I don’t-”

“Bacon is good for you,” Colt says. “Don’t tell me Cali has made you into one of those vegan, yoga tree huggers.”

I try to hold back a smile. Was Colt joking with me?

“He never told you he wanted to kill himself or end his life, right?” Colt didn’t ask. He pleaded. He wanted to believe this came out of left field that none of us saw this coming. None of them could have known. That he didn’t ignore the blaring signs.

I shook my head. “No, I think he was just numbing the pain. We were our worst enemies.”

“We?”

“Ya, Scorpios. We both had-”

“The same birthday,” Colt says, cutting me off. Demons is what I was going to say but I didn’t bother to correct him.

“Ya, I remember,” he mutters, staring off into space as if a memory is coming back to him.

“Can I ask you a personal question?” He says.

“I guess.” I start to fidget with my hands to help calm my nerves.

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